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Commentaries
English
Romans
  
3. Deliverance from the Law delivers us to the service of Christ
(Romans 7:1-6)
1Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives?2For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband.3So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man.4Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another-- to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God.5For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death.6But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.


Paul wished that his believing brothers of Jewish origin in Rome would accept his teaching with respect to their moral death, and their resurrection in Christ as believers. However, Paul also knew that he had to give a clear answer concerning the position towards the law, for they saw in it the inspiration of God, the top of all revelations, and the fullness of the divine will given to Moses.
Paul said to them: You, who know and love the Law, are bound by it as a couple is bound by the matrimonial bond. And as the matrimonial bond is dissolved by the death of a married partner, so have you been delivered from the law, because you died in the death of Christ. His buried body is considered as yours, that death has no power over you.
Yet, Christ also rose from the dead, so now you who are free choose the Prince of life and make a new covenant with the Son of God. The old covenant was a covenant of death for the final judgment of the law. Now that you have entered into fellowship with the Prince of life, the fruits of his Spirit richly appear in you; love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, as well as all the characteristics of Jesus; thankfulness, truth, purity, and contentedness.
God expects the fruits of his Son in your life, because Christ died, rose, and poured out his Spirit in men that many might bring forth the fullness of his fruits. As a vinedresser works hard expecting fruit, so God has a right in you.
Before Christ, man was considered a slave of the law, until all lusts flourished in his body, because the prohibitions of the law instigated us to do evil. The law led us to bring more fruits of death. It does not only draw us to transgression, but it also condemns us mercilessly.
However, in Christ we died to all requirements of the law, as Christ completely fulfulled the law through his death. Since we have died to ourselves through our faith in the Crucified, we consider ourselves dead and unbound to the old letter of revelation.
At the same time, the Son of God has called us into a new covenant, which is founded on a better revelation that we might not stumble at the letter of the law, but serve God in the power of his Spirit. Our life is not surrounded with threatening prohibitions, but we have been revived by the invitation of love to the life of joy in the power of divine peace. The Spirit of the new covenant becomes neither old, nor weary, for he is God himself and his fullness is endless. He has unlimited abilities of wisdom, goodness, kindness, and hope. Therefore surrender completely to the guidance of the Spirit of God in his gospel that you may gain spiritual riches and divine power, and grow in the humility and meekness of Christ, since you have died, and he lives in you.

Prayer
O holy God, thank you because you called us from the bondage of the law, through the death of Christ, who fulfilled love and truth in his life and his cross. We glorify you because you draw us to the new covenant, and you dwell with your comforting Spirit in our hearts that we may bring his fruits by the power of your grace.
Question
Why are all believers delivered from the requirements of the old covenant?